Fast Fashion

A T-shirt that costs less than a cup of coffee hides a web of costs that you and I quietly pay for.

We all love fast fashion, don't we? Trend-driven clothes produced in huge volumes at lightning speed — what’s not to like? But sometimes, beneath this lie atrocities that go, well, for now, unnoticed.

The fashion industry accounts for about 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of global wastewater water and 85% of the textiles are either incinerated or end up in landfills when most of their material can still be reused.

Now the question arises, why do we still buy these cheap, trendy clothes?

Although the answer lies in the question, let us still try to understand this.

Think of it this way. When a shirt is ₹200, you ask, ‘Why not?’; when it’s ₹2000, you ask, ‘Do I need it?

Clothes, especially inexpensive and trendy ones, are price elastic. This means that if their price falls, their demand rises. When something costs little, the perceived cost of trying it (and discarding it) is low.

Moreover, trendy items often spark intense craze and popularity, along with limited-time deals, which build FOMO among buyers, leading to impulse buying and instant gratification. Individuals strive to differentiate themselves through fashion choices; fashion is now a means of participating in a group movement. This phenomenon is called flocking.

Another way through which companies trick us into buying these clothes is by using time-bound tactics. Limited-time offers, declaring product scarcity, such as only 2 items left, create a sense of panic to spend now. According to the UK's Competition and Marketing Authority, these tactics create a false sense of urgency, often pressurising consumers to make hasty decisions.

Moreover, to reduce manufacturing costs, that is, the cost of production, most of these clothes are of cheap quality, making them useless after a few wears.

The use of scarce resources for making cheap clothes recklessly, with little expectation of longevity, has even led to the exploitation of textile labourers.

However, just like every coin has two sides, this industry also comes with a positive side. To keep the cost of production low, manufacturers often outsource clothes from developing countries, thereby increasing globalisation and international markets. This, in turn, aids in opening new markets, building business partnerships as well as in diplomacy.

To conclude, for a safe and secure future, companies should consider the consequences of fast fashion and work to resolve the issues.